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"The Long Way" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Brett Eldredge for his self-titled third studio album (2017). Matthew J Rogers co-wrote the song, while Ross Copperman co-produced the song with Eldredge.[1] It was first released digitally on May 12, 2017 as a promotional single for the album.[2] "The Long Way" was serviced to American country radio on August 21, 2017 through Atlantic Records and Warner Music Nashville as the second official single from Brett Eldredge.[3]

"The Long Way"
Single by Brett Eldredge
from the album Brett Eldredge
Released	August 21, 2017 (2017-08-21)
Recorded	August–September 2016
Studio	The Castle (Nashville, TN)
Genre	Country
Length	3:28
Label	Atlantic Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Brett Eldredge Matthew J Rogers
Producer(s)	Ross Copperman Brett Eldredge
Brett Eldredge singles chronology
"Somethin' I'm Good At" (2017) "The Long Way" (2017) "Love Someone" (2018)

Content

"The Long Way" is a midtempo country ballad with influences of pop music.[4] The song is "a look into what I want to find in love," according to a press release from Eldredge.[5] Lyrically, the song describes how a lover can get to know their partner on a deeper level by exploring their history and their hometown.[6] "The Long Way" was written at a time where Eldredge was looking for true love and his cowriter, Matt Rogers, was soon to be married, which inspired the romantic lyrics.[7] Certain details were inspired by the writers' upbringings while others were generalized.[7]

Critical reception

Cillea Houghton of Sounds Like Nashville wrote that "The Long Way" is a "standout track" on the album that "allows his voice to shine," and is a "real charmer."[4] Top Country also labelled the song as a highlight of the album, writing, "the emotional melodies intertwine with the lyrics to make the story come to life, like any perfect country song."[8] Taylor Weatherby of Billboard included "The Long Way" on a list of Eldredge's 10 best songs and wrote, "this love song from his latest record proves that he has quite the range -- while also giving further proof that he’s a king at writing lyrics that make you melt."[9]

Music video

The music video was directed by Jim Shea and premiered on CMT, GAC & CMT Music in October 2017. It features Eldredge and Sadie Robertson dancing. The video has since reached over 22 million views. [10]

Chart performance

"The Long Way" debuted at number 41 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated June 3, 2017.[11] The song sold 11,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 14 on the Country Digital Song Sales component chart.[12] The song re-entered the chart at number 38 for the week of August 26, 2017 and has since reached a peak position of 23.[13][14] "The Long Way" debuted at number 56 on the Country Airplay chart dated September 9, 2017.[15] The song has sold 137,000 copies in the United States as of March 2018.[16]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2017–2018)	Peak position
Canada Country (Billboard)[17]	7
US Billboard Hot 100[18]	65
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[19]	3
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14]	7

Year-end charts

Chart (2017)	Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[20]	97

Chart (2018)	Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[21]	13
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[22]	34

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23]	Gold	40,000
United States (RIAA)[24]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Worldwide	May 12, 2017	Digital download	Atlantic	[25]
United States	August 21, 2017	Country radio	Atlantic Warner Music Nashville	[3]

References

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